inspiration: in the movies

I'm sure those of you with your interests lying crosswise in the fields of fashion and film have heard abut the amazing auction of Debbie Reynolds' collection of Hollywood memorabilia. The auction begins today, and while most of us are probably not in a position to actually bid on any of the items, the mix of eye candy and nostalgia is a great diversion on a summer weekend.

You can download a free PDF catalog of the auction here, and the marvelous Tom and Lorenzo have a post displaying many of the star pieces, so I won't retread too much on that. But needless to say, this is real Hollywood history. Gorgeous costume pieces, iconic accessories, letters, contracts, cameras...it's fascinating.

The whole thing is enchanting to me. To own a piece of history, like that--I don't even know what I would do with, say, Charlie Chaplin's bowler hat, or Dorothy's pinafore, or Marilyn Monroe's white dress (all pieces in the auction). I would want to tuck it close to me, keep it safe and mine, but I would also want to put it in my living room, so that everyone could see and enjoy it with me. I wish that these pieces could be all in one museum, like Debbie Reynolds wanted them to be. As enticing as the idea of owning a piece of the movies all your own, it also makes me really sad to think of all these wonderful things and all those years of collecting being scattered.

...that was a lot more serious than I planned this entry to be! Let's talk pretty! If you could pick a piece from the auction to take home with you, which would it be? i haven't made it all the way through the booklet yet (and the booklet itself is a prize, I highly recommend downloading a copy), but for now I'm torn between the Ascot Races dress from My Fair Lady and the Do-Re-Mi dress from The Sound of Music



Images via profilesinhistory.com

The Ascot dress is obviously more visually striking, but both of these musicals were huge favorites growing up, The Sound of Music particularly. And how could I choose between two of my absolute favorite film ladies of all time, Audrey Hepburn and Julie Andrews? Maybe it's a good thing I don't have (ugh) $200,000 to throw around. (That's the starting bid on the Ascot dress, for the morbidly curious. The jumper starts at far more "affordable" $40,000). To be honest, I would probably actually try to walk away with some of those gorgeous vintage movie posters. But those of us without the discretionary funds can still roll around in the beautiful photos, lush descriptions, and wonderful daydreams :)